Posts I've Made

Whatever it is, this car is probably responsible for my interest in model cars. When I was a small kid, my Dad took me to a toy store where I found a gray metal XK 120 that I really wanted. But at about $8, he thought it was too expensive and my disappointment was huge. This was in the early to mid-50s. I've probably been compensating ever since (and yes, I have a Monogram metal kit in my stash).

That was built by the guy who created the wheels and other 59 kit parts. It's a recreation of the one in Ralph Lauren's collection.

EDIT: Note that the wires on the wheels are not weight-bearing The wheels are really solid discs in the back over the brake drums, with a cogwheel design that mates to cogs on the rims. The wires are only tensioners to keep the wheel working with the proper tightness.

The kit is the Bburago 1:18 Bugatti T59 Grand Prix racer (measurements against original T59 blueprints show it to actually be 1:15), with a metal body that needs a lot of work, but otherwise is quite good.

The actual I car I want to build is this one before it was restored to its original Grand Prix state:

This requires a donor car of the built Bburago version with fenders.

The only thing that delayed me from proceeding was the lack of the signature piano wire wheels. I found a guy in Italy who made excellent wheels specifiaclly for this kit, which I got, but after talking to him a week ago he said he's no longer making them. Therefore, they'll have to be scratch built from now on. It also came with a metal front axle with the proper positive camber (narrower tire spacing at the bottom than at the top). Aftermarket wheel:

The kit has a very weird top hinge deal on the hood. I wish I could find a vacuform service to copy the body so I could open the louvers.